"Today, I had Corn Flakes instead of Sultana Bran for breakfast!"

The title of this post is exactly the kind of thing I would like to avoid in my blog. I don't write that frequently for a couple of reasons- the first is, of course, simply the lack of time. I feel that I'm reasonably well-justified with that one. Secondly, though, I don't want to write just for the sake of it, because there's no part of me that believes that every little mundane aspect of my life is grippingly readable (refer to title of this post, true though it may be!).

Still, apparently I don't blog enough for the liking of some, and for those people, the very trivial may be just fine (how flattering!). Goodness knows, I understand the feeling- I cling desperately to the every day goings-on back home like a lifeline when I'm homesick and just wishing I could take my nephews to the park or go for coffee with my mum. So, here goes: A few ramblings about my last few weeks here, before I no longer have the ability, time, nor inclination to update my blog for another month. :-)

After my triumphant last blog post when exams finished, I felt a bit of post-exam letdown. I'm not sure why I was surprised- I've never in all of my years of education experienced so much stress and anxiety going into finals for anything than I did a month ago. For me, post-exam letdown is a hallmark of being a perfectionist and weirdly neurotic, when the period after exams heralds a time to dissect my (never good enough) study habits, answers to questions I could have written better, and without fail, the thankfully-short but nonetheless desperately uncomfortable moment when I question whether I am cut out for this and whether I will ever actually be the kind of doctor I strive to be. In all honesty, I am prepared for many more of those moments. From what I've seen, every vet, let alone vet student, experiences them. I will be ok, because I know fundamentally and at the very core of my being that I have fought tooth and nail to get here, and that I'm in the right program, at the right school, at the right time.

So what have I done since finishing up? I've been taking the dogs on long walks, watching lots of movies with Iain and Geoff, and working bit by bit on my manuscript. It's been nice to walk the dogs during the day while it's warm, rather than at 6-something in the morning when it's freezing (look at me complaining..."freezing" in my mind now is 8 or 9 degrees), and I have to rush the dogs along so that I can bus into school on time. My friend and I went to the travel doctor to get our rabies boosters, and it is literally the only clinic that does them here. I suffered no real ill effects from it, other than a sore arm and a nasty-looking bruise that's still there, more than a week later. I have to get a Q fever test and vaccine done when I'm back in Vancouver, because I missed the boat and didn't get it done at uni a couple of months ago. We are on the farm all of next semester, so it's an important one to have. Q fever is a nasty bacterial infection that is spread mainly through the bodily fluids of cattle and sheep.

Apropos of nothing related to cattle bodily fluids, I had a really lovely birthday spent with some good friends and doing very normal things. Iain made pancakes for breakfast and then we went to a rally downtown at the Parliament building in Perth in support of a full ban on live export. Hopefully most of you would have received my emails on the subject of live export, and what can be done to stop it. Live export is the shipping of live animals to foreign countries, where they are then slaughtered. I won't get into a rant right now, but here's an appropriately biased website that generally shares my views. I am ok with the bias, because you won't find equal care given to both sides in any West Australian newspapers, that's for sure.

www.liveexportshame.com

The rally was disappointing in that there was a huge pro-export presence, and the pro-ban side was soundly overshadowed. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are the two biggest exporters of live cattle, so we expected that there would be a lot of people coming to protest a possible ban. The thing is, I and anyone else I know who is for a full ban is also in full support of protecting and preserving the livelihoods of farmers and cattle producers. This wasn't really reflected in the signs, posters, and chants by "our side", which chose for the most part to appeal to people's emotions rather than present itself as willing to work on a solution that benefits all. I genuinely believe that is possible in this case, though it will take time and patience. I am not ok, however, with the animals being "patient" anymore...this cruelty has been going on now for far too long whilst government bureaucrats claim ignorance and use pretty words to placate the population's ever-growing unease with this practice.  The treatment of these animals is absolutely horrifying, and too many Australians are passing the blame onto the foreign countries utilizing inhumane slaughter practices. If you can stomach it, I would encourage every single person to watch the recent "Four Corners" expose on the live export of cattle from Australia to Indonesia, which has caused such an outcry in the country. It can be found here, but I warn you, the images and footage you will see is extremely graphic and disturbing. Consider watching it anyway.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20110530/cattle/

Oops, I guess I went on for a bit anyway. My feelings about the whole debate are best summed up in this way: Animals are not televisions or iPods...if you are producing them, you are responsible for their treatment from birth to slaughter. No exceptions.

After that very brief departure from my initial topic (which was...?), in other news, I'm starting to throw clothes in a pile and think about what to pack with me to take to Bali and Vancouver. So far, I have my stethoscope, a couple of pairs of scrubs, and some clothes that I don't mind leaving behind when I fly to Vancouver. Living in Australia, it seems, is hard on clothes. Very few people have dryers here because the weather is so nice most of the year, so you can just chuck everything up on a line outside. Between the hard water and the moths though, our clothes have taken a beating. Cautionary note: Shake out dry clothes before folding and bringing inside to remove any unwanted stowaways of the arachnid persuasion! I am looking forward to picking up some new (cheap) clothes back in Vancouver, as when I arrive back in time for school starting in August, spring will have arrived and it will start getting hot again, unlike this hideous 15-22 degree weather we've been having, haha.

I am really excited for Bali, Vancouver, and the Yukon. What an odd/amazing combination of destinations! One amazingly privileged problem to have in vet school is the excess of opportunities, and not nearly enough time or money (!!) with which to pursue them. Case in point: My recent email from an Asian elephant sanctuary in Thailand imploring vet students to come and help out with various amazing things. *groan* Still, the experiences that I've had even BEFORE vet school, and now the doors that have been opened as a result of being IN vet school, are nothing short of miraculous. I have to really focus on each day and not let myself get caught up in all the hyperventilating, "I want to do it all, right now, otherwise bad things will happen, and that would suck, and, and, and..." kind of mentality. I have a whole lifetime in which to make the kind of difference I hope to make, and that starts with learning respiratory physiology and renal clearance calculations and the structure of fatty acids and neural organization. But you know what? Not right now, not anymore...I'm on holidays.

And just like that...

...it's all done! I am simultaneously bewildered and elated to announce that I have (barring any unforeseen circumstances!) officially finished semester one of school. That means that I am exhausted, puffy-eyed, a little worse for the wear, and 1/10 of a veterinarian.

I wrote physiology today and it went better than I thought it would. I was terrified for this one, so of course it had to be last, drawing the pain out to the bitter end, haha. It still felt a little surreal to sit outside in the beautiful autumn sun at the campus tavern and just chat with wonderful friends, and then head home to walk the dogs, who have gotten the short end of the stick lately. I took Chester and Dixie out for a really nice long amble, and it felt like late summer in Vancouver- warm but with a light breeze. Picture the smell of wood smoke to that, and you're getting there. The dogs were absolutely thrilled and it makes me really happy to see them so happy. It really brings home the idea that animals want to be where their people are. Chester and Dixie would be happy living in a box on the street, as long as they were with Iain and I. It's nice to have confirmation though that they are happy and settled, despite the stressful, expensive, time-consuming process of getting them here. Iain and I stressed about it constantly and worried about their ages (Chester and Dixie are turning 12 and 10 this year, respectively), their health (Chester with his mystery neuropathy), and whether it would be unfair for them to have to adapt to a new country, new climate, new lifestyle. As always though, they've risen to the occasion and made the most out of everything, as dogs always do. Ultimately, we knew that either all of us come to Australia, or none of us do. They are family, and they go where we go.

Now, onto my next projects. I have three weeks here in Perth to revise and submit another draft of my Steller sea lion manuscript, which was accepted pending major revision (emphasis on the "major revision" part) to a journal. I am hoping that after the semester I just had, it will seem like a cakewalk to make the changes necessary and send it back to the editor before leaving for Bali. I also have my birthday to look forward to, and it's so great that I get to spend it with Iain, Geoff, and others here who are not away for the winter break. I think too that I am going to do some touristy things here that I haven't done yet due to a chronic lack of time. Maybe a trip to Rotto (Rottnest Island) is in order? We are also hoping to go camping somewhere up north for a few days. It feels crazy to be living in a place where there is perpetual camping, all year round- usually Iain and I have to finish up in late September if we're lucky, and by late April we're chomping at the bit to go play outside in tents. Here, you can go all year...ALL YEAR! Too bad vet students are pitifully time-poor.

I feel a real sense of relief having the first semester done and out of the way. A lot of people say it's one of the worst parts of the whole degree (though it depends who you ask!), and I can see why that might be. Not only have I started vet school, but Iain and I have moved across the world and settled in a brand new place. We didn't have our dogs or a solid place to live for the first month, so we spent all of our spare time house hunting and trying to look like responsible, reliable tenants. It's nice to see where we were 4 months ago, and where we are now. Speaking of which, I have to go- I have friends coming over for pizza and wine. Let the celebrations begin! Lots to be happy, grateful, and proud about. Those of you in the northern hemisphere- see you very soon! xoxo